Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) | < Sub-Saharan Africa

See also:
- SECID Awarded a €1 Million Food Security Project Funded by the EU
- Emergency Response to the Outbreak of the Cassava Mosaic Disease
   Phase II
- Reintegration, Conservation and Community Recovery Project (RE-COMMIT)
- Agricultural Economic Grants
- Developing Community Driven Value Chain for Agricultural Products
- Commodity Chain Analysis for Coffee and Cacao
- Emergency Response to the Outbreak of the Cassava Mosaic Disease
- Applied Agricultural Economics & Outreach Project II (RAV II)
- Applied Agricultural Research and Outreach Project I


Rehabilitation of the Lokutu Oil Palm Plantation
Funding source: Conservation International (subaward)

This project assessed the feasibility of introducing intermediate palm oil processing
technology as a potential for improving livelihood, increasing value-added production
and reducing threats to biodiversity within the Lokutu region. Additionally, the project
assessed the opportunities and requirements for the rehabilitation of the plantation
itself through the utilization of private or community satellite holdings to provide the
required quality and quantity of raw material to the palm oil processing plant.

Specifically, the project assessed the:

• State of the existing palm oil processing facilities and feasibility for their
  rehabilitation (including cost estimate);
• Opportunities for introducing intermediate technologies for palm oil
  processing as a viable income generating strategy for local populations;
• Potential mitigating effects on threats to biodiversity in the region;
• Current production levels of the plantation;
• Opportunity for organizing farm communities into cooperatives;
• Possibility for developing small private (individual) or community-driven
  oil palm farms as satellite holdings; and
• Opportunity for developing sound market development and business
  management plans for interested producers and groups.

A team of experts visited the existing plantation and the transformation facility to
determine its current production potential. The team also developed a series of
scenarios whereby the plantation could be gradually rehabilitated and new highly
productive planting material obtained. SECID consultants conducted a preliminary
and succinct stakeholder and commodity chain analysis, including marketing for
palm oil and its by-products to determine the feasibility for rehabilitation of the
palm oil industry. The consultants designed a preliminary and rough technologically
sound and economically viable business plan based on the information collected.